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New Sounds Archive
October 2005
October 2005 New Releases
Monday, October 31, 2005
It's the most wonderful time of the month - new releases! On this New Sounds program, listen to the pick of the piles. There'll probably be new music by Bob Brozman, Forastiere, Robert Ashley, and with any luck, a selection or two from the Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra, among others. Perhaps we'll also hear something from the forthcoming Wilco double live release "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago."
Ambient Music
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Trying to explain “ambient music” might be pretty tricky, but here goes: “ambient” can suggest music of little or no rhythm, with background sounds and effects as foreground music, as in the spacey and beautiful works by Brian Eno. However, with the advent of “chill-out” rooms which co-evolved with pounding techno raves, ambient music grew into a larger all-encompassing genre that might have a rhythmic or trancey escapist groove, might have electronic keyboards and/or spacemusic melodies or themes, or might be the background-as-foreground idea, or possibly all of these at once. On this edition of New Sounds, hear works of the atmospheric variety by Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, which use simple piano chords and layered themes. There’s also the sound fragmentation of Christopher Willits, who folds fractured guitar lines on top of one another. Plus, music by Brian Eno and more.
Sardinian Voices
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Small-group polyphonic singing in Sardinia, rooted in the pastoral world of the Italian island, is a rich tradition dating back thousands of years. Four male voices, a soloist singing the melody, and three harmony parts sung in a highly nasal manner, combine for a music filled with harmonies and overtones, sometimes with sung poetry improvised on the spot. Enjoy a rare treat on this edition of New Sounds, as the Tenores Di Oniferi, one of the outstanding vocal groups of “cantu a tenores,” perform this ancient and unusual music in the WNYC studio.
World Tour
Friday, October 28, 2005
From frenetic crazy Bulgarian wedding music to the blown-out amplified sounds of thumb pianos, feast your ears on a smorgasbord of world music for this New Sounds program. Hear Ivo Papasov and Yuri Yunakov’s infectious Bulgarian be-bop once outlawed by the Soviets. There’s also fierce Flamencobilly-Rock from Martires del Campas, featuring screaming electric guitars combined with palmas (handclaps) and woody percussion, and Chico Ocano‘s blistering, raw-edged vocals. And not to be outdone, listen to a Congolese band whose electrified kalimbas (thumb pianos) wired to used car parts, a pots-and-pans rhythm section, and megaphone loudspeakers, are inexorably danceable. And much more.
Bottoms Up!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Telepathically tight and musically adventurous, the members of the Bad Plus test the limits of what an acoustic bass-drums-piano band can do. This time around, their latest release, “Suspicious Activity?” contains mostly originals, with some doses of seriousness, taken with a shot of abandon, a chaser of meditation, some communion with jazz forebearers, and the inevitable cheekiness. On this New Sounds program, we’ll sample from “Suspicious Activity?”, and dig into the new record from the Brad Mehldau Trio. The Trio’s “Day is Done” features more interpretations of tunes you might recognize - a Radiohead tune here, a Beatles song there, Nick Drake songs, and a version of the Burt Bacharach tune “Alfie.” Also, there’s music by bass virtuoso Michael Manring from a new solo CD of works, recorded without overdubs, and containing the oft-requested “Selene.” And so much more.
In Praise of Dreams
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
New works from Europe make up the backbone of this New Sounds program. Daniele Sepe, the Italian saxophonist and composer based in Naples, mixes jazz, funk, and rock in his love songs, serenades, and protest songs, along with pizzicas and tarantellas from his collection, “Senza Filtro." Plus, hear from Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, who has recently released his first new record in nearly 6 years – “In Praise of Dreams.” It’s a collaboration with violist American-Armenian Kim Kashkashian and African-French drummer Manu Katché which expertly improvises a blend of folk and classical, achieving a purity that is both rich and deep. Also, the French horn virtuoso, Arkady Shilkloper, single-handedly layers together music using an incredible arsenal of instruments, among them didgeridoo and Wagner tuba, on his solo record of improvised music, “Pilatus.”
Baltic Musical States
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Hear music from Eastern Europe and The Baltics on this edition of New Sounds. Commissioned for a peace concert in 2004, listen to the spiritual message by Arvo Pärt, “Da pacem Domine,” performed by the Hilliard Ensemble. Plus, work from Pärt’s Estonia counterpart, Veljo Tormis. Nearly twenty years in the making, Tormis’ song cycle, “Forgotten Peoples,” aims to “awaken understanding, and help retain the ancient Balto-Finnic heritage,” according to the composer. There’s also dense and intense music from Alfred Schnittke, arranged by the Kronos Quartet from Schnittke's "Concerto for Mixed Choir," along with music from a chamber group extraordinary young players from the Baltic States led by violinist Gidon Kremer - Kremerata Baltica, and much more.
Jazz Inflections
Monday, October 24, 2005
Pianist Larry Karush’s roots embrace jazz, 20th century Western classical music, African-based percussion, and the music of North India. On this edition of New Sounds, Program #2340, he visits the studio to talk about improvising on themes from Arabic, Appalachian, and his original compositions. Plus, hear the latest from master Lebanese oud player and “the Bob Dylan of the Middle East,” Marcel Khalife, whose new release, “Caress” puts his two sons to work on piano, and percussion.
In Between Beatings
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Listen to the premiere performance of Alaska-based John Luther Adams’ new piece called "The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies," for solo percussion and computer-processed sounds. Written for and performed by percussionist Steven Schick, this 70-minute soundscape was commissioned by WNYC, the LA County Museum, and the South Florida Composers Alliance, through the Meet The Composer's Commissioning Music/USA program. From the recent New Sounds Live event at the World Financial Center, hear the piercing array of cymbals, a booming bass drum, a tam-tam, an air-raid siren and snare drum. Listen for the beats of sound in between the beatings of the percussion instruments...
From Russia With Love
Saturday, October 22, 2005
The groundbreaking Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble, continuing the work of the late musicologist/singer Dmitri Pokrovsky(1944-1996), performs live in the WNYC studio. They’ve recorded Stravinsky's "Les Noces," collaborated on albums with Peter Gabriel and Paul Winter, and have over 2000 songs in their repertoire, including medieval Russian village music and music of the country's old and new faiths. The ensemble has extended the reach of contemporary Russian folk singing by incorporating thumb piano and percussion of Zimbabwe, among other traditions.
Zippo Songs Live
Friday, October 21, 2005
From the New Sounds Live Concert Series, it's a sociopolitical blowout show. Hear Phil Kline's "Zippo Songs," art songs for rock band (and the musical equivalent of a kick to the gut), along with excerpts from Scott Johnson's work, “How It Happens,” featuring the voice of I.F. Stone and Ethel, all performed live from the stage at Merkin Hall. Phil Kline's Zippo Songs are provocative and intense, hard-rockin' music with settings of "poems" inscribed on army-issue Zippo lighters by American GIs in Vietnam. Also, hear Kline's "Rumsfeld songs" containing texts from various Pentagon briefings, all sung by Theo Bleckmann and featuring the Zippo Band: violinist Todd Reynolds, percussionist David Cossin, and the composer himself on guitars.
New from the North
Thursday, October 20, 2005
This New Sounds program explores new works coming out of Scandinavia, with some music based in folk traditions, and played by bands who share several different members. We’ll hear from the Swedish supergroup Väsen, four musicians who have done projects ranging from nyckelharpa orchestras and Swedish traditional bands to collaborating with the Kronos Quartet. Plus, there’s music by Garmarna, who formed in 1990, inspired by Väsen’s nyckelharpist Olav Johansson’s musical score for a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Not to be outdone, there’s also music by the group Hurdy Gurdy, featuring the combined forces of Hedningarna’s Hållbus Totte Mattson (Hedningarna) and Garmarna’s Stefan Brisland-Ferner (Garmarna), put the Swedish Hurdy Gurdy through its paces. Listen also for music from Frigg, the Finnish/Forwegian string band with family ties to the great Finnish fiddle ensemble JPP, and perhaps some music from the quartet Swåp, who fuse Celtic traditions with those of Swedish folk. And a whole lot more…
Do The Monkey
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Guitarist and composer Dominic Frasca has opened the ultimate boutique performance space in Chelsea, where the music (rather than the booze, burlesque or meat market scene) takes center stage – The Monkey. The first performer to grace this freshly-drilled and surround-sound equipped new venue was the extraordinary Italian guitarist Forastiere, who combines the blues with tapping on his acoustic 6-string. On this edition of New Sounds, Forastiere performs his original solo compositions live in the studio. The music is something like a mix of Steve Reich's interlocking rhythmic patterns meet Michael Hedges' techniques, all while admiring Eddie Van Halen. Also, John Schaefer speaks with Frasca about this intimate space and its capabilities for concerts and multimedia events.
Bamboo, Silk and Stone
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
There’s new music for the zither from Korea, Japan, and China on this edition of New Sounds, with works by Mei Han & Barry Truax, David Bowie, and Korean-American komungo (Korean fourth century fretted board zither) virtuoso Jin Hi Kim. Mei Han studied Chinese classical zither, but has since moved to Canada and experimented with everything from free improvisation to computer music. We’ll hear her performing John Oliver’s beautifully bluesy Purple Lotus Bud, for zheng and string quartet; and Bamboo, Silk and Stone, written by Raine-Reusch and electroacoustic pioneer Barry Truax in 1987. Plus, Chinese pipa player Wu Man picks up the zhong ruan (a plucked string instrument from the Qin Daynasty circa 200 BC), teaming up with the Kronos Quartet on Lachrimae Antiquae, from the 1997 release called “Early Music.” And much more.
What's Old Is New
Monday, October 17, 2005
Listen to two recordings by Steve Reich –Reich’s most recent work, “You Are (Variations)” and a 1977 live performance from New York’s New Music venue The Kitchen. Reich “just set out to have a good time composing” with “You Are (Variations),” for voices, and at times, four pianos. With texts drawn from philosophy and scripture, like the Jewish mystic Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s statement “You are wherever your thoughts are,” the four movement work explores aspects of existence, in a set of variations. The work receives its premiere on 24 October at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. Also, hear “Six Pianos,” an early work by Reich, played by six pianists: Glen Velez, Steve Chambers, Russell Hartenberger, James Preiss, Bob Becker and Steve Reich. It’s just one of the works on a newly released disc of performances by Steve Reich and Musicians, recorded back in 1977, but only just discovered in 2002 in a dusty box in the Kitchen’s archives.
For the Birds
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Hear works that incorporate taped natural sounds on this New Sounds program. No mere atmospheric ocean waves with soothing strings are in store, instead, Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Cantus Arcticus,” or “concerto for bird [voices] and orchestra.” The taped cries of wild birds from arctic regions are sped up, slowed down, and accompanied by orchestra to chilling effect. Also, there’s Evan Ziporyn’s recent work, “No Return – River Impressions 2002,” featuring the Salmon River interwoven with clarinet and violin and much more.
Lute and Lucas
Saturday, October 15, 2005
On this edition of New Sounds, John Schaefer welcomes Dutch ten-string Renaissance lute player Josef van Wissem, along with guitarist Gary Lucas, the NYC-based musician well known from his days with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Together, on their unusual combination of instruments, they perform quirky original works live in the WNYC studio.
Guitar Fesitval: World Blues
Friday, October 14, 2005
Uptown and Downtown, the New Sounds Live/New York Guitar Festival 2002 covered plenty of fertile ground, musical and otherwise. Performances from Joe's Pub and the 92nd St. Y take center stage, beginning with duets performed by guitarist Justin Adams and percussionist Salah Dawson Miller. Another series of duets features acoustic guitarist/composer Artie Traum and slide guitarist Cindy Cashdollar (the rollicking "Dark Road Blues" and "Dixie Pig BBQ Blues"). Rounding out the program is a show-stopping performance by multi-instrumentalist Elliot Sharp.
Bach, Brazil, and Beyond
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Guitarist Andy Summers, a veteran of '80s supergroup the Police, and Brazilian acoustic master Victor Biglione have been performing as a duo for more than five years. At the 2002 New Sounds Live/New York Guitar Festival, which took place earlier this fall, they were joined by classical guitar virtuoso Benjamin Verdery in an unforgettable evening at Joe's Pub. As we hear in tonight's episode, the trio's meeting explored stylistic connections between 18th-century Europe, 20th-century Brazil, American jazz, and their own compositions.
Guitar Tribute: George Harrison
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
New Sounds continues its revisiting of the 2002 New York Guitar Festival with a tribute to the late George Harrison, recorded live at Merkin Hall. Titled after his 1970 multidisc solo epic, "All Things Must Pass," the program features a long list of guest performers, including Vernon Reid; Steve Bernstein and Sex Mob; guitarist/composer Wolfgang Muthspiel (performing "My Sweet Lord"); and guitarist Joel Harrison with saxophonist Dave Liebman, accordionist Tony Cedras, bassist Stephan Crump, percussionist Jamey Haddad and vocalist Raz Kennedy.
Guitar Tribute: John Fahey
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
From the 92nd Street Y's portion of the 2002 New Sounds Live/New York Guitar Festival, Leo Kottke headlines a tribute to John Fahey (1939-2001), one of acoustic music's influential innovators and eccentrics. Also on the bill are slide guitarist Cindy Cashdollar in a duet with acoustic guitarist Artie Traum, and Elliott Sharp, who gives a rare acoustic guitar performance. As host John Schaefer notes, Fahey "was an icon to many American guitarists--he put the sound of roots-based American music on the map 25 years before the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack became a surprise hit."
Guitar Tribute: Jerry Garcia
Monday, October 10, 2005
Merkin Concert Hall's portion of the 2002 New Sounds Live/New York Guitar Festival began with a sold-out tribute to two Rock guitar legends: Jerry Garcia and George Harrison. As we hear, the all-star evening was headlined by guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, whose credits include lead guitarist for Jefferson Airplane and co-founder of the band Hot Tuna, making him well suited to address Garcia's towering legacy. We also hear from the enduring doo-wop pioneers, The Persuasions, who have been singing soulful harmonies together since the 1960s and recently released an album of Dead covers. Rounding out the homage is banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka, known for exploring genres usually considered out-of-bounds for his instrument.
Jazz-Funk Rendezvous
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Written for and premiered by the Bang On A Can All-Stars, Steve Martland’s “Horses Of Instruction” is a fierce and frantic piece for a 11-piece varied band, anchored by a drummer. The piece could be described as Stravinsky and Reich in a jazz-funk rendezvous (according to the International Record review), and listen for brass and saxophones to carry a suave melodic riff over pulsing marimba and guitar chords. Also on this edition of New Sounds is David Lang’s “World to Come”, for solo cello, cello ensemble on tape, and when performed live, theatrical lighting and video projection. Lang, one of the three founders of Bang on a Can, wrote the piece in the time following September 11, and talks about the piece as “an introspective and highly personal prayer, a meditation on hope and hopelessness, and an elegy about the life and death of the soul.”
C'Mon Baby, Light My Oil Lamp
Saturday, October 08, 2005
John Tavener’s “The Bridegroom” is an ecstatic, mystical piece imbued with slow-moving harmonies and radiant vocal textures. The work, commissioned by both Anonymous 4 and the London-based Chilingirian String Quartet, is based on the biblical parable of the wise and foolish virgins, in which ten virgins await a wedding feast. As the story goes, five virgins are prepared with enough oil for their lamps to greet the bridegroom's sudden arrival at midnight, while the unprepared other five virgins are left out in the darkness to miss the feast. On this edition of New Sounds, Program #2225, hear John Tavener’s “The Bridegroom” performed by Anonymous 4 and the Chilingirian String Quartet and other works, recorded live at the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden.
Ethiopiques
Friday, October 07, 2005
A series of reissues of Ethiopian pop music of the 60s and 70s, called “Ethiopiques,” has renewed interest in this super-groovy style. We’ll hear original recordings by the great Mahmoud Ahmed, the Ethio-jazz-groove innovator Mulatu Astatqe, and Ethiopian pop songs arranged by the brass band The Either/Orchestra, The Code International, along with the American-based Ethiopian singers Aster Aweke and Gigi.
Unusual as Folk
Thursday, October 06, 2005
"Triple-exile" composer Osvaldo Golijov brings together elements from his Eastern Europe roots, from his Jewish heritage, and from his native Argentina and melds them with Western classical traditions, and Mediterranean folklore. On this New Sounds program, we’ll hear from Golijov’s latest release, Ayre, a song cycle featuring the soprano Dawn Upshaw. On Ayre, he incorporates the sounds of accordion and ronroco (the South American fretted lute) as well as the laptop (a 21st century folk instrument to Golijov), and has scored texts in Arabic, Hebrew, Sardinian, Spanish and Ladino (the lost language of Spanish Jews.) We’ll also hear folk-tinged music from multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer Gustavo Santaolalla, from his CD “Ronroco,” and perhaps from the two songs he wrote on Ayre. Plus, there's music by Luciano Berio, with whom Golijov shares the talent of obscuring the distinction between 'folk" and "art" music, and more.
Sampling Don Cherry
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
The great trumpeter, world music icon, jazz explorer, improviser, and part Choctaw Indian - Don Cherry- died ten years ago this month. On this edition of New Sounds, we'll sample a small fraction of his recorded work, which reaches across a weird and wonderful range of musical idioms and forms. Listen to Cherry's work as Codona - a group with Collin Walcott and the Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos - whose musical flavourings draw from Africa, India, South America and the Middle East. There's also some of the "American Indian jazz" that Cherry played with tenor sax player Jim Pepper. Plus, hear from collaborations with Latif Khan, Adam Rudolph, Hassan Hakmoun, Lou Reed and Talking Heads, among others.
Where's the Party?
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
There's party-oriented music pumping from all corners of the globe on this New Sounds program. We dance the line between jazz, dub, funk, punk and electronic junk with the space-lounge-groovy jazz-rock of Critters Buggin’. Also, hear Italian gypsy party music from Acquaragia Drom, goofy energetic live klezmer from Naftule’s Dream, and possible aural appearances from the likes of the Jewish-Cuban Septeto Rodriguez, Dutch jazz trio Agog together with the string quartet Zapp, and much more.
New Jewish Renaissance
Monday, October 03, 2005
On this edition of New Sounds, listen to music from the new Jewish Renaissance, including works from klezmer-revival musicians like the Klezmatics, and Andy Statman along with radical Jewish music from John Zorn, and world fusion from Wally Brill and Atzilut. Wally Brill's CD The Covenant, reverently combines the sounds and spirit of Jewish incantations with modern ambient, dub, and other electronic music, and you can dance to it. Plus, Hebrew music traditions with Arab rhythms as played on western, African, and Indian instruments from the group Atzilut. Also, the Klezmatics pay tribute to the Yiddish musical legend and clarinet powerhouse Naftule Brandwein, and we hear the latest from talented instrumentalist, composer and bandleader Andy Statman.
Bang on a Tank
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Hear melodious beatings on this New Sounds program, as featured in different works by Lou Harrison, Steve Reich, and Aaron J. Kernis. In the early 1970's, Harrison and his partner devised an "American Gamelan" of aluminum tubes and slabs with #10 tin can resonators, and modified oxygen tanks suspended in wooden frames. Hear it together with the violin in his "Suite for Violin and American Gamelan." Also on the show is Reich’s “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ,” a hypnotic work of repeating musical patterns, duplicated and layered out of phase, which gradually slow down. Plus, listen to “Musica Celestis” by Aaron J. Kernis, an ethereal and soaring response to Hildegard of Bingen’s poetic imagery of angels singing God's praises eternally.
The "California School"
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Was there really a California school of new music in the late 70s and early 80s? We'll hear works by John Adams, Ingram Marshall, Peter Garland, Chas Smith, Paul Dresher, and other composers whose music suggests that the question might not have a simple answer.
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